The National tribune., 1887-04-14
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks DOingS at the Ma
tiOnal Capital


Neha OF the war, lnnuGh was ohlg II little 10Y
at the time My father was living in Freder-
icksburg at the time The FIRST battle was fought
there, aud ! saw ar much Of that as could be
seen by occasionally pecping out OF the cellar
window. My mother, my aunt, and ms chill
dren were i'm the cellar al the time. and i tell
YOU we were awfully scared; but there was
nothing 10 do but 20 lie fiat on the cellar floor
when the heavy firing was going on. My
father owned a farm near Charlottesville, and
when Spring came we thought we would go out
there and be out Of danger. Again we got
right in the midst of il, for our house was
right back Of the Confederate lines None OF
ms got hurt, however i remember that d
couple of days after the fight ] went with my
father and brother up 10 the Brock CROSSE roads.
Before we got there we had 10 stop and tie our
horses, Tor we could not 90 any farther without
their stepping on the bodies of dead men. i
never saw them so thick anywhere else. ii was
simply awful. The next Spring we tried
another plan, and went down TO grandmother
farm, near SpOttsylvania Courthouse. There
we got right into il again, and again we had
t0stay in the cellar while the fighting lasted.
A day or two after the regular fighting ceased
the troops on both sides drew away from
around our house. One day about $50 Union
cavalry came up past our house, going out
toward where the COniederates were A little
ways out they met about as many Confederate
cavalry, and after some fighting they were run
back past our house, into the pines. Then
they rallied and drove the C0nfederates past
our house into the pines on the Othcr side OF
the clearing Then both sides took cover IN
the woods and began shooting at each other
across the clearing whenever anyone appeared.
Id finally quoted down aud thought would
open the shutter of an upstairs window, and
look out. My aunt told me not 60 do it, bat j
minded her just about as much as any self
willed boy of 10 minds his aunts. I had Just
pushed the shutter open when a bullet
smashed through the glass, not three inches
from my head. ] tell you dropped the sash
in hurry. That shows how sharp lookout
the soldiers were keeping for each other.
Some Southern soldier had seen the shutter
open and thought Northern soldier was gOin G
10 shoot out OF the window, so he shot first
Mt Spottsylvania j saw seven cOrpses standing
mp. They had been caught by the neck by the
iOrked limbs in the abatis, aud held there"
DULL AND WEAK PREACHER.
The general verdict is, that by all odds the
dullest aud trashiest sermon preached in WASH
ingtOn on Easter Sunday was by the Rev.
William Everett who bad for a father no less
a man than the, Hon. Edward Everett, of Bos-
ton. Rev. Mr.. Everett was al Oxford, Eng
land, during the war, and won unusual scho-
lastic honors there. lie graduated at the head
of his class, and his attachments were consid-
erred quite remarkable. lie published a book
on his University career, entitled, Think, How
i Took the Double First" III disappointed
those who had great expectations of him, for
ii was a very dull and pedantc affair. Only
one paragraph in it received special attention.
IL read something like this-I quote from
memory:
THE civil war then raging in America con-
cerned as very little. The taking up of a new
course Of study, or the change from one room
10 another was OF more interest TO us than
McClellan's repulse before Richmond or a raid
by Stonewall jackson down the Shenandoah
Valley"
Commenting on this the Nation said;
Doubtless Mr.. Everett thought he dida good thing
in sending his son 10 oxford but he would have
done Il much better thing Tor him If he had made
him drummer-boy la the Army Of the Potomac.
Young Everett came home, became a tutor
nj Harvard, and is now, j believe, a professor
IN that University. Nothing was heard of him
by the general public until 1854, when be was
announced with flourish Of trumpets as one
OF the Mugwump leaders Again he came 10
the surface 10 inform the President Of bis dis
appreciation Of the Dependent Pension Bill.
This came with special good grace from him,
who, young man at the time, utterly refused
10 lift finger la defense Of his country, but
shamelessly proclaimed his indifference 10 the
fnghtiul evils which were only ayerted by the
shedding the liie-blood OF hundreds Of thou
sands OF better men than he. However, he is
not worth this much comment. The people
who went 10 hear him came away amazed that
the son of one Of the most polished orators
that America ever produced should be SO vapid
in matter and thought and so unattractive in
manner. lie affects the ultra English accent
and pronunciation, and copies the unpleasant
hemming and having Of the English public
speakers-"lts so English, you knaw."
SENATOR PLUMB's HoRsEMANsHIP.
The horsey dudes and gentleman riders"
about Washington have had an exhibition
lately that they could profit by, il they were
IN the frame OF mind 10 profit by any good ex-
ample III is the sight of Senator Preston b.
Plumb, of Kansas riding about his business in
the city, mounted on a splendid thoroughbred,
which he sits in way 10 make every true
hOrseman's eyes glisten with admiration. Rid
ing is now fashionable fad in this CITY, but
the spectacle Of a society young man on horse
back recalls the remark of the honest back
woOdsman, at his first view Of an old-time
dandy
Lord, Bill" he said, what strange things
o Teller does see sometimes, when he goes out
without his gun"
The Washington young man first gets himself
mp in fearful and wonderful costume, the
main part Of which is a pair of skin-tight
trousers Of q dark color and ornamented with
a row OF big white buttons down the outside of
each leg, reaching from the waistband 10 the
instcp. The bottoms are strapt over the shoe
The upper part OF the costume may be a cut
away coat and Derby hat or jacket to match
the pantalOons and Jockey cap. in his hand
he carries a short cane, with q horn head at
one end and a buckskin loop at the other
Then he mounts horse with a dOckod aud
bObbed tail, on little pad Of saddle, with
stirrups 50 short rs 10 bring his legs in the
shape Of - takes the reins ina both hands
and 10 every stride Of the horse hobs up and
down in the most comical way, showing about
six to eight inches OF daylight between him.
self aud the saddle. No veteran ever sees him
goby without following him with amused eyes,
and wishing that he could see him ride into
one OF Our old-time camps and have the boys
rise up with one accord, with the old yell OF
Jump of and grab a root, with which they
used 10 advise the awkwa riders among the
staff officers.
Senator Plumb on the other hand bcstrides
his horse az il he belonged there, aud man and
horse were one lie sits erect, with shoulders
thrown back, reins in his left hand. controls
his horse without the slightest apparent effort
and appears as fully at home la the saddle as
other men are ina aB Office chair He is a int
specimen Of the kind Of horsemen bred on tht
Western plains, where il is almost necessary
that a man dc good rider before he is any.
thing else
COMFORT FOR THE woMAH's FIGHTERS
do you know that a very queer revolution
I'm the status Of women is going on here. in con
sequence of the Civil Service System said !
high official % me the other evening.
mo" ] answered what is itT"
well, il is queer that You. newspaper mel
have not dr0pt 10 IL before now" SAID the off
eial. Anyhow, ] am glad 20 give THE Ma
TIuRAT HPTpTrNF fine FIRST infaypag5on ,rop,